Leah
Leah is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. Its meaning is often deciphered as "delicate" or "weary". The name can be traced back to the Biblical matriarch Leah, one of the two wives of Jacob. This name may derive from Hebrew: לֵאָה, romanized: lē’ah, presumably cognate with Akkadian 𒀖 littu, meaning 'wild cow', from Proto-Semitic *layʾ-at- ~ laʾay-at- 'cow'.
- English
- Hebrew
- Biblical
Meaning & Origin of Leah
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Leah is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. Its meaning is often deciphered as "delicate" or "weary". The name can be traced back to the Biblical matriarch Leah, one of the two wives of Jacob. This name may derive from Hebrew: לֵאָה, romanized: lē’ah, presumably cognate with Akkadian 𒀖 littu, meaning 'wild cow', from Proto-Semitic *layʾ-at- ~ laʾay-at- 'cow'.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Hebrew
- Biblical
The Story of Leah
Leah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 54 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2009: 6,790 births, good for #29 nationwide. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 22% of all recorded Leahs. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #55 among baby girl names with 3,790 births, falling sharply (-18%). In total, more than 260K Leahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Leah
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Leah. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Leah
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Leah Isadora Behn , the second daughter of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Leah
Phonetically similar names — useful when Leah is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Leah
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About the name Leah
Leah is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 260K births in the dataset. Leah's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #24. Use the chart and map above to compare Leah's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2009 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.